Newest wave of call-ups features Williams, Wynns
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Orioles’ latest wave of September call-ups came ahead of Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays, a day after Triple-A Norfolk’s season ended.
Catcher Austin Wynns and pitchers Ty Blach, Evan Phillips, David Hess and Chandler Shepherd rejoined the Orioles after previous stints with the club earlier in the season, while Baltimore selected the contract of outfielder Mason Williams, designating utility man Jace Peterson for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot. Outfielder Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle will not be among the Orioles’ September call-ups.
The four recalled pitchers have combined for an 8.06 ERA in 42 appearances for the Orioles. Blach will start the opening game of the doubleheader, his fourth start for the Orioles after posting a 12.15 ERA in his first three. Shepherd, who allowed one run in four innings of relief in his only outing for the Orioles, is coming off an August in which he had a 1.62 ERA for the Tides and earned International League Player of the Month honors. Hess opened the season in the Orioles’ rotation, and after a no-hit bid in his first start against the Toronto Blue Jays, he struggled to keep the ball in the yard, with 28 home runs allowed in 75 innings. Phillips and Wynns have been recalled multiple times throughout the year and have yet to stick.
Batting seventh and playing center field in his Baltimore debut, Williams became the 57th player used by the Orioles this year, surpassing a club record set last season. He was with the New York Yankees from 2015 to 2017 and played 51 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2018 before joining Baltimore on a minor league deal after the Reds released him in spring training.
“I knew I could get back to the big leagues here,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to get back to the big leagues, get back on the field, stay healthy and try to win games.”
Despite that goal, Williams said he didn’t worry too much about a possible promotion even as he played well with Norfolk, hitting .308/.371/.477 with 18 home runs.
“I was really just happy to go day by day with that and things I could control down there,” Williams said. “I knew I was playing well, and I knew I’d have an opportunity. But honestly, I really didn’t try to look that much into it ’cause it doesn’t really help out a lot.”
The Yankees’ 2010 fourth-round draft pick, Williams, 28, once ranked as a top 50 prospect in baseball but didn’t get an extended opportunity in the majors until last season. He said he hopes to get some extended playing time in the final month of the season.
“In my head right now, yeah, absolutely,” Williams said. “That’s why I’m coming here. In my head, I want to play, and hopefully, I do play to get an opportunity and to prove myself.”
Peterson joins right-hander TomEshelman, designated Monday to create roster space for Mark Trumbo, in DFA limbo. He hit .220/.269/.330 for Baltimore after a late July promotion from Norfolk.
“It wasn’t really about them,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “It was more about giving Mason an opportunity to play up here and keeping some guys on our 40-man [roster], but both those guys did a nice job in our organization.
“That was tough to see both those guys go.”